Timothy J. Robblee, artistic director, conductor

Saturday, March 22, 2025 at 7:30 p.m.
Armstrong Concert Hall
Shenandoah Conservatory

The instrumental musician of today needs skills in reaching an increasingly visual audience. Music in Motion (MiM) was developed (first in 2019) as a program designed to emphasize performance skills beyond the regular complexity of playing and ensemble skills. MiM focuses on connecting musicians to audience members through modalities not as natural to them. Now in its third iteration, Music in Motion challenges performers to imagine a concert “beyond.”

MiM is a concert event in which every piece has a movement element. This includes fully staged works, works in surround sound, a processional, works featuring dancers, and more. The ensemble serves as their own stage crew — making transitions seamlessly and sometimes covered with incidental music composed by ensemble members. The staging of works that normally are performed seated and with music requires performers to memorize most of the program, to know the entire piece of music (beyond their own part), and bear responsibility for the flow of the entire program from beginning to end. 

Ultimately, this concert event comes from the ability of artists to conceive of familiar things in new ways. I’m so very grateful to the many contributors: 

Ella Marchment: for direction and conception of the staging of Holst’s Chaconne in which she asks the players to imagine themselves as characters in a scene without a specific story. The players engage with the music and each other through the lens of their “character’s age and personality.” The result brings an entirely new look to a familiar piece of music.

Shaun Evans: for being endlessly creative and inspirational, imaging the familiar Earle of Oxford Marche in a new orchestration and staging, and providing so much inspiration in the staging and presentation of all of the visual elements.

Brennan Sullivan: for working so creatively in a not-so-flexible space such as Armstrong Hall to create a lighting plan and make all of the transitions in the program work so seamlessly. 

Alisa Holley and her team: for imaging both a digital program and promotional efforts that presents normally familiar program items in new and complicated ways.

Alex Gardner: for helping us rehearse her wonderful piece and being willing to imagine it in a new way with different and somewhat awkward limits imposed by the staging of MiM. 

Dance colleagues: both the student performers and their teachers who leap (literally?) at the opportunity to tackle complex collaborations.

Abel Rose: graduate assistant supreme, for tireless work on the many, many logistics of such a complicated performance. 

Libby Beller: bands manager supreme, for taking care of all of the details that would otherwise be missed. (And for being an inspiration from her performances in MiM1 in 2019.) 

Creative Team: for pushing themselves to imagine a concert “beyond” what they usually do. The creative team began meeting in November to help in selecting repertoire, creating the costume plan, choreograph transitions, compose music for transitions and aid in the execution of rehearsals and performances. 

SU musicians: for persevering and trusting in a process that demands great risks, many moments of discomfort and extra and different rehearsal tasks. Playing at a high musical level is admirable — taking artistic risks is spectacular! Well done! 

Enjoy!

Tim Robblee
Conductor and Music Director
Shenandoah Conservatory Wind Ensemble

Cave

Russell Peck (1945–2009)

INCIDENTAL MUSIC

Music by Brandon DuBritton

Panda Chant II

Meredith Monk (b. 1942)

Addison Ashley, leader

Wah

Juri Seo (b. 1981)

Resonance Rhythms

Alex Gamboa (b. 2003)

Earle of Oxford Marche

William Byrd (1540–1643)
arr. Gordon Jacob, Shaun Evans

Perseids

Music by Alexandra Gardner (b. 1967)
Choreography by Paige DeFrees in collaboration with dancers

Abel Rose, conductor
Paige DeFrees, dancer
Kate Mark, dancer
Sophia Kenworthey, dancer

INCIDENTAL MUSIC

Music by Alex Gamboa

Sleep

Eric Whitacre (b. 1970)

INCIDENTAL MUSIC

Music by Cliff Hernandez

“Chaconne” from First Suite in E-flat

Gustav Holst (1874–1934)

Ella Marchment, staging conception, direction

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Wheelchair accessible restrooms are available across the courtyard in Gregory Hall (approximately 100 feet from the Armstrong Concert Hall lobby). Please notify house management for assistance.

Patrons are requested to silence cell phones and other electronic devices during performances. The taking of photographs and the use of recording equipment are not permitted during performances.